A VISIT TO SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE

After our amazing short trip in Dubai, it’s time to have a long drive back to Saudi Arabia. We decided to pay a quick visit to Abu Dhabi’s iconic landmark – the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It’s one of the most grand yet elegant structures I’ve seen. The architecture and interior design created such beauty that would definitely last a lifetime.

Visiting Hours

The mosque is open daily for visitors from 9am to 10pm except for Friday (worship day). Don’t worry if your only available time to visit is Friday. The mosque still opens for vistors but only from 4:30pm to 10pm.

During Ramadan, the mosque is open daily from 9am to 2pm except for Friday.

Last entry is 30 minutes before closing hour.

Cost

Entrance is free and the mosque is open for everyone no matter what your religion is. There are also free guided tours during certain hours. Make sure to visit their official website for updates.

Dress Code and Rules

A mosque is a sacred place for Muslims so make sure to dress modestly and conservatively. Make sure your hair and body is fully covered up to your wrist and ankle. You can borrow abaya for free at the entrance. If you’d like to flaunt your own fashion and style, don’t wear sheer and fit clothing so you’ll be able to pass through the strict entrance without any questions.

Important rules to keep in mind when inside are no public display of affection, no holding hands even for married couples, keep it quiet, avoid inappropriate posing, for short keep it candid, don’t lie on the floor and soak up the Arabian sun. Don’t be a Rihanna when in Sheikh Zayed Mosque.

Five Interesting Facts

Sheikh Zayed Mosque is the largest mosque in UAE.

Natural materials mainly gold, crystals, semi precious stones and precious stones were used in the construction of the mosque. No wonder the flooring was cool even at noon. The temperature was around 42 degrees during our visit.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque has the largest handmade carpet in the world and it is located in the main prayer hall.

Once we entered the main prayer hall, it’s not the largest carpet that caught my attention nor the fact that the room was airconditioned (it was very hot during that day), but the huge chandelier that’s oozing with swarovski crystals! The seven chandeliers inside the mosque consist of millions of swarovski crystals and one of them is considered to be second largest chandelier in the world.

The mosque is named after the founding father and first president of UAE.

Just in case you’re wondering who took our lovely photos, it was my dad! 😀

Leave some love and let me know what you think at the comment box below. Happy Travels! xx

Your photos are stunning! The mosque itself looks gorgeous and it’s very interesting that it is the largest mosque in the UAE. Thanks for the tips for visiting, I would have never thought holding hands would of been a problem so very good to know 🙂

What gorgeous photos! I hadn’t heard of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque before, so I’ll have to bookmark this for when we visit the UAE. I think being able to visit places of worship of all faiths is so important in helping understand and embrace other cultures.

I had a chance to visit this earlier this year when I was in Sharjah! 🙁 AND I missed it! The opulence of the place is soooo evident in your pictures! LOVE the architecture.
“Don’t be a Rihanna when in Sheikh Zayed Mosque.” this cracked me up! Hehe. I have to visit UAE again and visit this place:)

Holy cow! What an absolutely beautiful mosque! You should hire your dad as your full time photographer 😉 How amazing that it’s free to visit as well! That’s incredible, especially to have the free guide! Love it!

Girl, your photos are gorgeous! I haven’t been here yet but I’m sure you did justice to this grandness of this place! I personally love intricate architecture so I’m definitely bookmarking this for when I make it to the UAE. xoxo from a fellow mermaid.

I seen some beautiful mosques through my travels like the Hassan ll Mosque in Casablanca and the Blue Mosque In
Istanbul. But the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with the white is really stunning. I will make a point of seeing it when I visit UAE…